Tacfleet: defending the borders, peace-keeping and protection of the United Federation of Planets.

The tactical element of the Starfleet – sometimes referred to as ‘Tac Fleet’- is the section of Starfleet responsible for the Peace-keeping and defensive roles. Tacfleet was formed after the Federation-Klingon war of 2257-58 after one-fifth of the United Federation of Planets was occupied by Klingon forces. It was only through fortuitous events on Qo'noS that caused the Klingons to withdraw that the Federation did not fall. Coupled with Section 31, Tac Fleet was formed to prevent another disasterous collapse of the border; to protect Eden from those that storm the walls to cause harm. After the explosion of Praxis, a secret meeting of Starfleet included the question of “mothballing the Starfleet”, to which the reply was that the “scientific and exploration” aspects would not be affected. This was a direct reference to the tactical arm having cutbacks. The Khitomer Accords, like its forefather the START Treaties, aimed to lower the amount of tactical assets both sides had. Starfleet decommissioned most of its older escorts and frigates, losing the dreadnoughts that were an anathema to the principal of the Federation. Only those systems with a peacetime role or were needed out of vital necessity were retained after the peace dividend of the 2295 Stardate 10000 Review.

Whilst most Starfleet ships have defensive systems, those in the tactical wing of Starfleet have specialised weapons systems in greater number. There is a greater presence of Starfleet Security and Security Operations in the Tac Fleet than the rest of Starfleet. The Tac Fleet is not a part of Starfleet that the Federation would idealistically want, but unfortunately circumstances dictate that there is a need for defence against those who would try to storm Eden’s gates.

Author notes:
Tac Fleet comes from the Fandom of the 1980s. This is a very nasty tightrope act for me between having tactical vessels that Starfleet would NEED to have as a deterrant and protection force for the Federation - especially after Star Trek: Discovery showed the KLingon-Federation War of 2257 - 58 cost a FIFTH of the Federation and a THIRD of the Starfleet. Surely you'd beef up your defences after that? Starfleet relies primarily on INTELLIGENCE and DIPLOMATIC methods, with DEFENSIVE-ONLY assets used as THE LAST RESORT. I've removed non-PC terms such as "destroyer" (replaced with escort or frigate) and strike/assault terms as well. Dreadnoughts are a difficult thing; Star Trek removed the "Dreadnought Entente NCC-2120" comm-chatter from ST: TMP Director's Cut, only having one as the villain USS Vengeance in Star Trek Into Darkness. I've compromised by getting rid of the Federation class and having mostly Ascension class Light Dreadnoughts in low numbers. Komsomolsk class Dreadnought will be a couple of ships in a ceased production after Khitomer. Ulysses class was only seen in Klingon Academy and is perhaps a cancelled design that was only a proposed Heavy, or Super, Dreadnought.

Roles of Tacfleet:

Patrolling shipping and border control

Defence of the Federation

Peace-keeping missions e.g. Ferasan De-Militarised Zone patrols.

Convoy protection

Anti-Piracy

Policing and anti-trafficking

Deterrance defence

Disaster response

Flag-showing missions

Port visits to friendly nations

Fleet Admiral Charles Lawrence Buckingham.

Admiral Buckingham is the current head of Starfleet Tactical. A decorated strategist and tactician, Buckingham was a natural leader from entering Starfleet Academy. Buckingham pursued the path of Tacfleet and command, pushing himself and his teams forward to promotion and success. Buckingham has commanded escorts, cruisers and dreadnoughts; he fought in the border clashes of the 2270s; the Klingons, the Romulans and Orion Syndicate in the Tabula Rasa crisis; more recently the Romulan Crisis.

Buckingham wants to become C-in-C, beaten recently to the position by Irina Khmalnova, the reformer. Charles Buckingham fights the corner for the tactical aspects of Starfleet, working closely with the other aspects of Starfleet, with the politicians in the Federation Council and the private corporations to get new starships designed and constructed, as well as older starships refitted or retired. Buckingham insists upon the best ships being available to defend the Federation. He is a hands-on Fleet Admiral, serving aboard Ulysses class superdreadnoughts, Komsomolsk class dreadnoughts or Lexington class command ships. From this on-scene approach, he feels he has a better idea of the 'big picture' of the strategic situation of the Federation than a desk-riding Admiral in San Francisco would.

Buckingham is all for diplomacy and peaceful co-existence, but from the position of a mailed fist within a velvet glove. The violent modern history of the nineties and open years of the 24th Century all showed there are nations out there who would do harm to the Federation and her interests. Buckingham respects the reformers, using his own prestige to influence the winds of change. In order to know which way the evolution should go, Buckingham urged his son Maxwell to green light the recent Sheffield mission to study the Beta Quadrant. Once more, Buckingham uses the resources at his disposal to get the results he needs.

Starfleet Security Operations

Starfleet Security Operations, formerly Military Assault Command Operations: TacFleet has incorporated the Federation Starfleet Marine Corp (FSMC) and former MACO units into their umbrella Security Operations designation. These are both Starfleet and FSMC-trained individuals whose purpose is to be able to fight to defend the Federation and its interests in space, on a starship or space station or on any planetary condition there is. The FSMC are identifiable by their rank structure with colonels and generals rather than captains and admirals. Several starship classes in the TacFleet spacialise in the delivery of Security Operations units. Athabasca, Jenshahn and Youngblood LPD classes have specialised barrack facilities for delivering Security Operations units whilst the Ark Royal class in its assault ship configuration is a LHA with enhanced shuttle facilities to land more Security Operations in environments where transporters are degraded or do not work. FSMC personnel operate with Starfleet-equivalent ranks when operating aboard starships.

Starfleet ships assigned as MEU transports such as the Athabasca will carry an entire Marine unit; in the Athabasca's specific case, 2 Marine companies (400 troops). This is not a Security Operations detachment, it's a Marine unit. Security Operations are for a starship's own organic "marine" detachment, which stays with the ship for its duty/patrol station. When it comes to planetary liberations and ground conflicts, Starfleet Marine units are transported there in our Athabasca, Youngblood and Ptolemy with troop transport pods. It is the Earth MACOs who were incorporated/folded into into the Federation SMC in 2161.

The MACOs came to prominence following the Xindi attack on Earth. Enterprise NX-01 was sent to investigate the threat and the MACOs were there to protect the NX-01 crew and aid in the defeat of the Xindi. In the event the Xindi attack was never followed up on. The Federation Starfleet Marine Corp continued to serve with Starfleet through the Romulan War and later into the Klingon Cold War. A company of FSMC accompanied the Enterprise-A to Nimbus III to rescue the hostages. A rogue Starfleet Marine officer, Colonel West, attempted to keep the Cold War with the Klingons alive by trying to disrupt the negotiations at Camp Khitomer in 2293.

By 2312, starships of Starfleet still have Starfleet Marines present on certain missions, their indigo undershirts giving them away despite being merged more than ever into Starfleet under the title Security Operations. Nathaniel Hawkins' grandfather was in the FSMC and taught him all about the need to protect those people and values that you stand for; fighting was something you had to do, not something you wanted to do. The TacFleet and FSMC grew to prime levels by the 2280s with two Cold Wars raging at once. After Khitomer there were those politicians who argued that the FSMC should be cut or even disbanded following West's treachery. Calm heads prevailed as people remembered the sacrifices made by so many FSMC in the Tabula Rasa campaign; a sizeable number were trapped keeping the Metar at bay to allow for the evacuation of Federation forces. Every year the holders-of-the-Line are remembered with honour.

MACO Unit

Number of MACO

Typical commanding officer rank

Fire Team

4

NCO

Squad/Section

8 - 13

Squad Leader

Platoon

26 - 64

Platoon Leader

Company

80 - 225

Captain/Major

Battalion

300 - 1300

Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel

Regiment/Brigade

3000 - 5000

Lt Colonel/Colonel/Brigadier/Brigadier General

Division

10 000 - 15 000

Major General

Corps

20 000 - 45 000

Lieutenant General

Field Army

80 000 - 200 000

General

Army Group

400 000 - 1 000 000

Field Marshal

Army Region

1 000 000 - 3 000 000

Field Marshal

Theatre

30 00 000 - 10 000 000

Field Marshal

Author’s notes:

In light of Enterprise these guys seems to be the mysterious indigo-shirted Starfleet personnel in Star Trek V and Colonel West. West was supposed to be Oliver North and a Marine; those guys in Trek V were definitely supposed to be marines and their costumes showed they were referred to as 'commandos'. I have called them Security Operations up until now but in hindsight they ought to be Federation Starfleet Marine Corp. Of course these Starfleet Commandos have army ranks, not naval. And those indigo shirts in Trek V had ensign insignia. Although Star Trek Beyond clarified that MACOs were disbanded after the formation of the Federation, they became the Federation Starfleet Marine Corp (FSMC) and have started to be incorporated into Starfleet at this point.

Star Trek VI and Star Trek (2009) were the movies that explicitly referred to there being more to Starfleet than just exploration, diplomacy and scientific studies. Star Trek: The Motion Picture explicitly mentioned “Dreadnought Entente, NCC 2120” amongst the comm.-chatter at Epsilon Nine. Captain Pike referred to Starfleet as “a Peace-keeping and humanitarian armada”. These are the ships that keep the peace; the so-called “Big Stick”.

Current capital ship compliment of 2312:

49 x Belknap class

10 x Ascension class

5 x Komsomolsk class

2 x Ulysses class

11 x Ark Royal class

27 x Athabasca class

6 x Lexington class

10 x Jenshahn class

10 x Youngblood class

4 x Menahga class

All shared between the 9 fleets comprising the Starfleet. Massive Dynamic (yeah the same one) has lobbied hard to Starfleet top brass to accept the Belknap Family ™ as the gold standard of tactical starships. As with the Constitution class variants beforehand (such as Federation class), Massive Dynamic has marketed that the Belknap Family are purpose designed for the defensive role and the commonality of parts and designs allow for easier maintenance and faster refit times. Transferrable skills between ship classes is also one of the strong points made by the corporate execs, citing Menahga as a classic example of where things went wrong. A corporate working alliance with Tagruato Corporation has allowed for shipyards to be freed up to refurbish the Belknap fleet in a realistic 24 month timeframe.